2025 Senior Soaring Championship
2025 Seniors Pilot Kit Final
Click for the SSA Magazine Article: SENIORS 2
March 10th
Rest Day
It’s a “rest day” at the 2025 Seniors as we expected AND received heavy rains this am with brisk winds throughout the day. Tonight, however, we look forward to US Team night in conjunction with a hosted contest dinner. The US Team will furnish dessert and offer a presentation on this year’s world efforts. The WGC and WWGC are slated for Europe this summer and Team USA will be active. Also, Michelle Sorenson and Bozena Michalowski have graciously offered items that will be raffled this evening to help raise funds for the teams. Click on photos to see them. If you’re not here and you’d like a chance, you can search Venmo for Kerry Huffstutler and venmo her: Donations/tickets will be $20/1, $50/3 & $100/7. Thank you, ladies. Go USA! #ussoaringteams More info this evening!
March 11th – Rich’s report Day 2
Low, Slow and Carnage on the Score Sheet
I have to say, the pilots meeting was funny today. During the introductions of the pilots, it seemed we had some comedians in the audience. Glen Betzoldt started the show by forgetting to give credit to his crew/wife Laura. Now if you fly at Seminole Lake, you know Laura crews the launches almost every day. She is the mother of crew folks. Then someone called out that Glen should get the Uff Da award. For those that do not know about the Uff Da, it means oh s—t in Norwegian and was started at the very beginning of the Seniors. Then Doug Jacobs announced that he was part of the New England Air Force and a three-time winner of the Uff Da award. Fernando was next being announced who also was a two-time award winner. I cannot throw stones; I own two awards also.
Not to be outdone, Gary Ittner who won the day gave an atypical winner’s speech. Taking a page out of Jim Lee’s play book, he stated he was a victim of Expectation Bias. He expected the thermals to go from gas to diesel to jet fuel, but all he got was hot air. They were so bad on the first two legs that all he did was just touch the first two circles. He made it up on the last leg and got his best climb on the way home.
Today we put the task in Sky Sight and the dreaded comment on the route forecast came up; “Could not calculate optimal start time”. We knew we were in trouble then.
The launch started on time, and everyone was launched in short order. It was a little weak and very blue at the beginning and the lift was anywhere from 1.5 to 4 knots. Top of lift was capped between 3,800 – 4,200ft depending on if you were to the south or at the gliderport. Many times, you found yourself in a thermal going down with 13 of your friends. Starting late was not an option, so we did have some pilots start at lower altitudes than they wanted. Today’s task was south to Gore, west to Streamsong, northeast to Wines, north to Grass Roots and then Finish. The first leg was either fast or difficult. We did not get much above 4,000ft all day. The inversion killed the lift around 3,800ft. The leg to Streamsong was also difficult with some smoke coming across the course. Most pilots chose to turn a little early in this area. Going to Wines you had to be careful with airspace issues just past the turnpoint. Also, the further east you went, the weaker the lift got. Everyone wanted to go north up highway 27 which is the Florida Ridge. Lift was a little more consistent due to the infrastructure and mobile home parks. North of Interstate 4 the lift was good but far apart. If you missed a climb, it wasn’t long before you got into trouble. Grass Roots, the lift was very weak and I had to go just short of nominal to avoid an early arrival. That cost me 5 minutes climbing in weak lift but I was happy to make it home this time. We had 17 pilots not make it around so the scoresheet looked like a New Years Eve confetti party. We should fly for the remaining days so there will be plenty of time to make up ground or go down quickly. This is a good test of piloting skills and patience. John Good is doing a great job assigning tasks that fit in with the weather. Too often, CD’s assign tasks to the weather they want, not the weather they have (this pays homage to my partner Pete).
Well, that is all for tonight. Stay tune for some more excitement tomorrow.
Cheers,
Rich
Contest Management is a tough job on a good day
When the weather gets tough or bad things happen, it pays to have the best team available to solve the issues. Luckily, we have some of the best team players in the business. It all starts with the administrative duties. These are the things that do not get highlighted very much but can derail a great contest. Chris Carter has been our head registration leader for a long time. She ensures all the people have the proper documents and an accurate accounting of money for the company. Not only does she do this contest, but she also runs the Region 5 North registration and being the Contest Manager of the Region 5 South contest. Thank you, Chris and your team, for all the hard work you do.
Shawn Knickerbocker and Trish hosted the Glider Geezer party again this year. They provide the main dish while the guests provide the sides. It is always a great time to kick off the competition season.
Enrique Mertins lays out the plan to park over 40 RV’s in our parking lot with power and water. It is a hard job, and Enrique makes it look easy. Thank you for another year of quiet bliss.
Leigh Zimmerman is my savior when it comes to computer and media posting. She helps me out by putting the nightly reports on the SSA Facebook page. Her husband Sam is my long-time mentor who keeps me grounded when days do not go well. My favorite picture is of Sam and I looking at a map discussing a task at the Seniors. I’ve learned a lot from this southern gentleman of soaring.
Billy Kerns and Bif Huss plus a couple of others helped with the layout of the parking grid. Trying to park 60 gliders who want to stay assembled is not an easy job. It takes pilots who cooperate with their neighbors and a plan developed on a CAD machine. Thanks to Billy and Biff for making that day so much easier.
During this week we have had the pleasure of doing a media project that is being supported by The Forgotten Hero Foundation. This is a non-profit organization whose mission statement is to support STEM education for underrepresented communities. Its CEO is a very dear friend of Seminole-Lake and our soaring community in general. Ms. Brigette Rock has been embedded with our soaring community this week, documenting the Seniors through film media. We have all decided we want to adopt her. Brigette’s personality has endeared her to the entire competition. We invited her to the pilot’s official photograph because she is one of us. We just adopted her fellow media professional, Ken, who did the first interview of the contest. Thank you to the Forgotten Hero Foundation for giving us these fantastic professionals.
Back to the racing.
The morning pilots meeting was normal. Not much was different, but I really enjoyed John Good’s discussion on emergency parachutes. Now I am seriously thinking about getting a static line for my parachute.
We did ask the pilots how they like our “Simple Gridding Process” that we use at the Seniors. The answer was a resounding YES!!! It puts the ship in a takeoff position without moving it after the vehicle drops it off. It does take everyone to follow directions.
While I was sitting in ZO looking down the runway, I heard a very familiar voice. It was Manfred Radius who thrilled air show attendees with his fantastic aerobatics in his Salto glider over many years. He retired after the 2024 Sun n’ Fun air show and is enjoying retirement. Manfred is a great friend of Seminole-Lake Gliderport and we are happy that he has returned to spend time with us.
After all of this, flying takes place. Today was the first time we saw clouds on course. Fernando’s weather was, as they say in England, spot on. The launch began at 12:30pm and the gate opened at 1:51pm with Cu in all quadrants. A sight that we had not seen all week. Our task today was Start A, south to Wines, southwest to Wauchula, northeast to Gore and then to Finish. The leg to Wines was fast, with Cu marking the way and several big gaggles getting together to find the best path. The Seniors is a good place to see how to find lift. Everyone spreads out to search for a much larger airmass. A thermal that would be 2 knots could be 4 knots if the gliders with you experienced better lift.
The leg to Wines was fast. I saw over 100mph at the turn. Going to Wauchula, the big decision was which street to follow. Some chose the northern street, others turned at the more southern one. I can tell you; I saw ships that did different paths at the same place down track. Never second guess your decision.
At Wauchula the decision was how far to go. The Wines turnpoint had no extra distance to go due to airspace. Wauchula was the only turnpoint you could make distance and time. There were streets that helped you make that decision. However, some streets ended early. The way to Gore was not as clear. Many paths with good Cu were apparent but which one would give you the best speed was the problem. From Gore, Highway 27 again gave you a nice ride home. Just keep heading north until you get a good climb and then achieve final glide. Things did get exciting at the finish. In the landing pattern we did have some issues. I asked to keep the landing pattern tight and then stating it looked like JKF landing at 4pm. Someone then said, no LaGuardia when landing south. Remembering back to my Delta days, I had to agree. I had to reduce flaps and retract my spoilers just to make it back to the gliderport. Not a pretty sight.
Everyone made it back safely and all the gliders were put to bed intact. We did an interview of the top three pilots on video to practice for the upcoming Sailplane Grand Prix. Hopefully we can figure out how to upload it to Facebook in our 70’s.
In third place was Jarod Granzow with the Team of Jim Frantz and Jim Lee in second. Winning the day was Bob Fletcher with a raw speed of 63.68mph over 175mi. Since Jarod wasn’t old enough to buy beer in Florida, Rich Owen finished in third place. The race for the trophies is very close. Bob Fletcher is in first place with a 79-point lead over Gary Ittner in second. Greg Shugg is only 15 points behind Gary. The trophies for the Seniors are very nice displaying an eagle with an American flag in its talons. Doug Jacobs, a World Champion and great sailor, is only 103 points out of first. This is tight, and John Good does not do banquet tasks. So, hang on and be ready for a great finish.
The guest race is even closer. Jarod Granzow has 3817 points while second place Sean Franke has 3814. Who is going to buy the CM’s a beer for winning the “Guest Cup?” You did not know? Tradition calls for the leading guest to buy the CM’s cocktail for the pleasure for competing in the contest. It is only appropriate!
There is lots to cover for tomorrow. Expect a mid-day post and a final after the results are announced. This has been a great time and a fun contest. The tasks have been fair in very difficult conditions, but the best pilots have risen to the surface. Stay tuned to an exciting finish.
Good Night,
Rich
March 14th
Final Count Down
The Seniors last day is always busy. Pilots are checking their ships one last time while the contest staff is getting the weather, task setting, pilots meeting complete, as well as getting the bills ready for pilot checkout tonight and tomorrow. The banquet tonight will be easier since the caterer is bringing the wait staff to serve the dinner. Thanks to all the volunteers that served the last few dinners and to those that stayed and helped clean up.
Today the weather looks very nice, maybe the best of the contest. John Good does not do banquet tasks, so we may be a little late to the cocktail party at 6:30pm. He is sending us from Start B north to Ocala and then south to Weeks Museum and then Finish. The nominal distance is 145mi for the 2.5 hour minimum time AAT. A slow 58 mph will get you around, but most of us will need to go deeper into Ocala. Remember, south of Fantasy of Flight are the lakes around Winter Haven where many go and few return home.
The first leg was a path of two choices, east was better clouds but west had a better line that avoided the Villages. When we reached Ocala, there was a line of clouds that went deeper into the area. However, after about 8 miles it became a big blue hole, so it was time to turn. The run south had another big blue hole about 20 miles south of Ocala that went past the Villages. Everyone knows, with all the golf courses and irrigation, this area is always weak. Going to Weeks is easy if you are high. There was a large area you needed to cross that was blue. Once you got south of Highway 50, the clouds and lift got better. I was lucky to get a 6-knot thermal just south of Seminole to get up and fly past Weeks and come home at Mc 4 with a 300ft reserve. It was a fun day, and everyone had a great time.
Now for the banquet. We gave up the prime rib dinner because the restaurant never seemed to get it right. Tonight was ribs and chicken. It was really good, but I could only eat half a portion, it was a lot of food. We thanked all the volunteers, staff, tow pilots and pilots that leant a hand preparing the field for the contest. We also presented the Catherine Eagin Memorial Top Crew Award in memory of a talented young lady that had worked at Seminole Lake for many years. Her tour as ground crew started as a wing runner finished running the entire line. Timmy Higgins received this award for his tenacity and hustle during the entire contest. We had two other volunteers that were in the running, but Timmy set the bar. We also presented the Don Wasness Sportsmanship award named after the first winner of the Seniors 35 years ago. Don is a fine southern gentleman who always was willing to help anyone during the contest. A very good friend of Don’s won the award this year. It is actually a family award for Billy Kerns and his wife Karen Geisinger. They absolutely make running the Seniors so much easier. From helping with the trailer parking plan, fixing broken gliders, taking care of the grounds, drawing all the diagrams in the pilot kit, updating the turnpoint list, making charts for the pilots, marking the grid and always answering the call for help. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this award.
Finally, we got the flying portion of the night. Here are the top ten pilots and their point value:
#10 Ron Ridenour 4379
#9 Ryszard Krolikowski 4389
#8 Pete Scarpelli 4460
#7 Henry Retting 4599
# 6 Nelson Howe 4605
#5 Jim & Jim (Frantz and Lee) 4634
#4 Ken Sorenson 4640
#3 Gary Ittner 4648
#2 Greg Shugg 4674
#1 Bob Fletcher 4811
Well, the Seniors are over now, the tables and chairs are put up for a week since the Sailplane Grand Prix begins next Friday. I would like to thank my 3 fantastic ladies who always keep me straight and makes the Seniors so much more special. Chris Carter runs registration and makes that segment first class. Mihaela, our manager for the gliderport, orders the food, sets the tables, arranges the volunteers for the meals and pours me a glass of wine when the going gets tough. Kerry, our tireless contest manager, allows me to fly while she takes care of all the finer points of a contest. She runs the meetings and solves all the last-minute issues that often can derail a contest. A wonderful person who, I am proud to call a great friend.
Well, that is all for the evening and the Seniors for this year. I’ll be working on the SSA Soaring article in the next week. You should look forward to watching the Sailplane Grand Prix. It is so much easier to know who is winning the day, it is the pilot out front.
So, from Seminole Lake Gliderport, the most prolific contest site in the US, good night and stay tuned for more reports from the SGP.
Cheers,
Rich
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